📡 2026.4.29Core Europe Weekly Report — Free Sample

Report Period: April 22 – 29, 2026
Coverage: Germany | United Kingdom | France | Italy

📌 Core Insights (Excerpt)

📌 ArcelorMittal Holds Firm on CRC/HDG Hikes — Supply-Side Pricing Discipline Takes Hold — The leading European producer maintained its April offers for cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil at elevated levels throughout the month, sustaining a €30/t increase announced earlier in the year. This firm stance, held despite muted trading, signals that mills have the resolve to push through cost-driven increases, particularly in higher-value-added flat steel products where import alternatives are limited.

📌 China Export Prices Surge Week-on-Week — Mysteel‘s SS400 HRC FOB index jumped significantly, with private mill offers rising to 495–505/tFOB∗∗,andsomeEastChinamillsquotingashighas∗∗495–505/tFOB∗∗,andsomeEastChinamillsquotingashighas∗∗505/t FOB Zhangjiagang. This rally, driven by pre-holiday restocking and futures gains, narrows the landed-cost gap with European domestic prices and adds upward pressure to the entire import complex just as Europe’s Q3 quota cliff approaches.

📌 Eurozone Manufacturing PMI Hits 47-Month High — A Two-Speed Economy Emerges — The April Manufacturing PMI surged to 52.2, significantly above expectations and the best reading since May 2022, with new manufacturing orders rising at the fastest pace in four years. Meanwhile, Services PMI collapsed to a 62-month low of 47.4, driving the Composite PMI to a 17-month low of 48.6. This divergence supports near-term flat steel demand from industrial sectors while creating headwinds for construction-linked long products.

💰 Price Snapshot (Selected)

🛡️ Policy & Logistics Alert

German Port Structural Overload Confirmed: New Sea-Intelligence data shows Hamburg is more than 10% below the European reliability baseline, unable to keep up with vessel call volumes. A rail corridor closure between Berlin and Hamburg remains in effect until August 24, 2026. Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven, by contrast, recorded positive reliability deltas.

China Labor Day Holiday (May 1–5): Expect temporary shipment delays and reduced export offer availability from Chinese suppliers during the holiday week. Post-holiday, mills may return with aggressive offers if domestic demand remains soft — CISA describes the Chinese market as “oversupplied, exports declining, steel prices low but stable, costs rising.”

💡 Sample Actionable Advice

For Procurement Managers:
✅ Secure Q3 HRC and flat steel volumes at workable prices below €730/t EXW. Mills are testing July offers at €750–770/t EXW, a significant premium above the current workable range of €700–720/t. With manufacturing PMI at a 47-month high and import prices rising, the window to lock in Q3 volumes at prices closer to current levels may be narrowing. ArcelorMittal‘s success in holding CRC and HDG increases through April signals that producer pricing discipline is achievable in value-added segments.

For Export Sales Managers:
✅ Target the UK market immediately. The detailed 60% quota cut publication has triggered panic buying across rebar, merchant bars, and sections, pushing UK domestic prices sharply higher. Non-UK mills have a clear window to fill supply gaps with competitive CFR UK offers before the July 1 regime change. Include transparent CBAM carbon cost breakdowns to build buyer trust.

This free sample represents a fraction of the full weekly report. Subscribers receive:

• Complete price tables for Germany, France, Italy, and the UK with week-on-week comparisons
• Full import viability assessments factoring in CBAM carbon costs and quota utilisation
• Detailed policy and trade risk analysis with legislative timelines for both EU and UK
• Supply and inventory dynamics including port congestion metrics and mill production data
• Dedicated action advice for both procurement and sales managers
• Major events tracking with market impact assessments

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